


Sormik Week 2016

by Sylthfarn



Series: Sitcom AU [4]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, Other Characters That Aren't Tagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-27 11:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7616107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylthfarn/pseuds/Sylthfarn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one shots for Sormik Week 2016 prompts all based in the Sitcom AU universe</p><p>See the blog <a href="http://jimthenecromancer.tumblr.com/">jimthenecromancer</a> for more information about Sitcom AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1: Water – Healing, Passivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo and Sorey are 15 in this chapter. Edna is 17 (which also Dezel is 14). This takes place about 9 years from the current Sitcom AU timeline, and so Lailah and Zaveid are married. Mikleo is Lailah's best friend's son (who was also the sister of Yuan), and after his mother died when he was around 4, Lailah raised him. He calls Lailah "mom" anyway.

"You can be a serious idiot sometimes. You know that right?” sighed Mikleo as he sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“But you still love me,” teased Sorey. 

“Did Mom give you painkillers?” asked Mikleo, rolling his eyes. 

“Uh…yeah,” admitted Sorey. Mikleo sighed and rolled his eyes again. It was a bit obvious judging by how out of it Sorey was right now. His eyes seemed a bit glassy too. Sorey had never been one for withstanding the effects of even the most basic painkillers.

“I brought ice for your ankle,” said Mikleo, turning in the other direction so he could gently apply the ice pack to Sorey’s ankle. “The doctor said it was a sprain and to apply ice for about 10 to 15 minutes. After that I can put a bandage on it for you.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Sorey with a smile. “You’re always taking care of me, aren’t you Mikleo?”

“I have to otherwise you’ll just get yourself in more trouble,” muttered Mikleo. 

Sorey had managed to sprain his ankle during the most recent soccer game, and while the doctor had said it was nothing to worry about so long as Sorey didn’t try to walk on it unprotected for a week and then avoid running on it for a bit longer after that, they would be fine. That of course, meant that Mikleo had to make sure Sorey _wouldn’t_ do anything to damage his ankle further. 

“I’m going to go get an elastic bandage. Can I trust you to behave while I’m gone?” asked Mikleo, standing up. 

Sorey was lying on his bed, his ankle propped up on a pillow with an ice pack (wrapped in a towel of course) on it. He still looked rather dazed from whatever Lailah had given him, and Mikleo desperately hoped that meant he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

“Totally Mikleo,” said Sorey. “Hey, hey did you ever realize your name looks like Moreos?”

Mikleo left the room immediately as Sorey started giggling.

* * *

Going downstairs, Mikleo found Lailah in the kitchen, flipping through a cookbook with a slight frown on her face. Edna was sitting on a couch in the living room, her feet propped up on the coffee table, reading a book. Mikleo took it to mean that Lailah was too absorbed in the book to notice, otherwise Edna would not be sitting like that. 

“Hey uh, Mom?” said Mikleo, pausing on his way to the bathroom. 

“Hmm?” asked Lailah, not looking up from the book. 

“What exactly did you give Sorey?”

“Some of your Uncle Yuan’s tea! It helps with pain and anxiety!” said Lailah, looking up with a smile. She then saw Edna’s feet on the table and frowned. “Edna, the table is for eating, not for feeting.”

“Fine,” sighed Edna, lowering her legs. 

“Anyway, why do you ask?” said Lailah, turning back to Mikleo.

“He’s uh…a bit out of it,” sighed Mikleo. “Anyway, I need to get an elastic bandage. They’re still in the cabinet, right?”

“Wait, Sorey is out of it? Oh man I’m recording this,” said Edna, standing up quickly and pulling out her phone.

“Edna, no!” said Mikleo.

“I do what I want, Meebo!” Edna called over her shoulder as she ran upstairs.

Mikleo looked like he wanted to follow after her, but he still needed to get the bandage for Sorey’s ankle.

“They’re still in the bathroom cabinet, dear,” said Lailah helpfully. 

“Thanks,” sighed Mikleo. “Also, Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t give Sorey any more of that tea…”

* * *

Mikleo had successfully located the bandage and had it in hand as he headed back upstairs. As he reached Sorey’s room, Edna came out, laughing, looking at her phone.

“You were right, Meebo,” said Edna with a smirk. “He’s super out of it.”

“Delete that video before Mom or Dad see it,” said Mikleo. “And don’t call me Meebo!”

Edna walked past him, waving her hand to show she’d heard what he said. But also that she particularly didn’t care. Rolling his eyes, Mikleo tried to ignore her as he went to check on Sorey again.

“How are you feeling?” asked Mikleo, sitting down next to Sorey again. 

“I think Edna was just in here,” said Sorey, and it was clear he was struggling to focus his attention on Mikleo.

“She was,” said Mikleo. “Did she ask you anything weird?”

“Uh… ‘m not sure,” mumbled Sorey. He was beginning to look a lot more tired, and Mikleo could only assume it was a side-effect from the “tea” Lailah had given Sorey. 

“I’ll check the recording later,” sighed Mikleo. “You need to sleep. I’ll stay here and take the ice off your ankle in a bit, okay?” 

“Aight,” sighed Sorey, closing his eyes. “Mikleo?”

“Yes, Sorey?”

“Love you,” Sorey said quietly. 

Mikleo could feel himself blushing, and he was extremely glad when Sorey started snoring a few moments later. At least Edna wouldn’t be coming back in any time soon. He would wait until the fifteen minutes were up, and then he’d take the ice pack off Sorey’s ankle. He didn’t want to put the bandage on while Sorey was sleeping, though, so that would have to wait. The minutes ticked by, and the house was strangely quiet. Then again Mikleo _was_ in a different room from Edna, so that might have had some effect. Lailah was downstairs possibly cooking. Edna had been reading earlier. Dezel and Zaveid were both out. 

After a few more moments of silence, he quietly stood up. He leaned over Sorey and pressed a kiss against his forehead. Blushing, he turned away, glad that both Sorey was asleep and Edna was nowhere to be found. He then checked the time and decided he might as well take the ice off of Sorey’s ankle. He picked up the ice pack and deposited it in the bathroom sink across the hall for the time being, not wanting to risk Edna or Lailah seeing his face and asking what was wrong. 

He didn’t know why, but instead of going to his own room, he returned to Sorey’s. Sorey was still wearing a majority of his soccer uniform, Mikleo noticed, which he resolved to make sure Sorey took off as soon as possible. It really needed to be washed. He sat down on the bed next to Sorey. Sorey would probably be asleep for another few hours, so Mikleo wasn’t sure why he was—oh. Sorey had reached out and somehow intertwined their hands even while he was sleeping. Well Mikleo couldn’t leave now. Not while Sorey was holding his hand. He would just lie down next to Sorey for a bit. 

_Just a bit_ , Mikleo thought to himself as he closed his eyes. _I’ll get up in like fifteen minutes._

He was sure it would just be a little nap. Cuddled up next to Sorey. Just a little while would be fine. And as for whoever came into the room and put a blanket over them as they slept? Mikleo decided it was best not to bring it up.


	2. Day 2: Earth – Growth, Stubbornness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eizen ends up having to babysit while Lailah and Zaveid are at parent-teacher conferences. It doesn't go very smoothly. 
> 
> Mikleo and Sorey are five in this chapter, making Edna seven and Dezel four. Eizen is seventeen.

Eizen wasn’t sure how it had reached this point. He had vegetables on his face. Again. Quick note to self: Next time give them vegetables that don’t stick to your face on impact. Maybe try some raw carrots or green peppers next time. 

"Think fast," said a childish voice gleefully before another spoonful of mashed potatoes smacked him in the side of the face.

"Edna," he sighed, turning to his seven-year-old sister. "I was under the impression I was trying to feed four children. Not toddlers."

"Don't care," said Edna, pushing the food around her plate. "These are gross."

"Vegetables are gross," Sorey agreed. Eizen looked over at the five-year-old in time to notice Mikleo loading his spoon again with vegetables to fling at Eizen's face.

"Stop that," he scolded, taking the spoon away from Mikleo. "And Sorey, vegetables are not gross."

"Are too," mumbled Sorey. 

"Why can't you be like Dezel?" asked Eizen in an exasperated tone. "His plate is nearly clean!"

Dezel had been sitting mostly quietly during dinner. He hadn't been throwing his vegetables at Eizen's face, unlike the other three. His plate was also nearly immaculate, as compared to Edna, Mikleo, and Sorey. But Eizen hadn't expected it to be perfect. He was only four.

"The only reason his plate is so clean is because he's been throwing his food on the floor when you're not looking," said Edna, glaring at her plate again as if the peas had done her some serious wrong. 

"Are you freaking—" Eizen started, and then noticed the large amount of food on the floor near Dezel's seat. With a groan he put his head in his hands. Why did Zaveid think he could do this?

"Listen," said Eizen, taking Dezel's plate and putting more food on it. "You all need to eat your vegetables. If you don't eat them, how can you grow up to be big and strong like me?"

"Don't you mean big and scene?" Edna muttered. Mikleo and Sorey giggled.

"Tell you what," said Eizen, moving Dezel's plate out of reach for a moment since Dezel looked close to repeating his previous offence. "If you all eat your food, everything on your plate including those gross vegetables, you can have dessert."

"Wait, you mean we're not getting it otherwise?" asked Edna, sounding slightly alarmed. 

"Yes. And that means eating it. Not throwing it at me or on the floor," said Eizen, directing the last part at Dezel. "All of you have to eat all of your food or no dessert for any of you."

"That's dumb," Mikleo muttered, but he stabbed his food moodily before actually putting it in his mouth.

 _Thank Maotelus_ , thought Eizen, leaning back. Children could be very, very difficult. Edna and Dezel were hard enough on their own, but adding in Sorey and Mikleo...

* * *

About half an hour later, Eizen had finally managed to get all four children to eat everything on their plates. He was washing the dishes (after washing his face), and the children seemed satisfied for the time being with their popsicles. Dezel was falling asleep already, which made things easier for him. That left Edna, Sorey, and Mikleo. And the mess Dezel made on the floor. With a sigh, Eizen began cleaning only to hear a new argument break out.

“Meebo you’re so short.”

“I am not!” 

“Yeah you are. You’re like…shorter than Dezel.”

“I’m taller than him! I’m taller than Sorey too! And soon I’ll be taller than you!”

There was a moment of silence before Eizen heard Sorey quietly say, “Mikleo you’re not taller than me.”

“I totally am!” huffed Mikleo angrily. “Dezel, aren’t I taller than Sorey?”

“Why are you asking him? It’s not like Dezel can tell how tall you are!”

“Well at least I know he’ll be honest, unlike you!” 

“Hey! Are you calling me a liar?” 

“Edna, will you please just measure how tall we are,” said Sorey in an exasperated tone. 

There was another moment of silence where Eizen could only assume Edna was measuring them. 

“Sorry Meebo, you’re still shorter than Sorey,” said Edna with a laugh. 

Eizen exited the kitchen to find Mikleo pouting, his arms crossed and his head turned up as if ignoring Edna would change facts. Sorey had the decency to look a bit sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck as Edna smirked at Mikleo’s expression.

“Edna, stop teasing Mikleo,” sighed Eizen, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Fine,” huffed Edna, crossing her arms as well. 

“Dezel needs to go to bed, so I’d highly suggest the three of you think about bed as well,” advised Eizen, picking up his brother. Dezel mumbled something in response, but Eizen wasn’t sure what. “Also keep it down.”

“It’s not even that late,” groaned Edna as Eizen disappeared into hers and Dezel’s room. “Just because he’s seventeen he thinks he’s all that.”

“Maybe if we threaten him he’ll let us stay up,” said Sorey brightly.

“Sure, I’ll tell him that I’ll tell Dad what I read in his diary,” said Edna. 

“Well I was thinking more of beating him up, but that works,” said Sorey with a smile. 

“Wait, Eizen has a diary?” asked Mikleo curiously.

“Oh yeah, totally. He writes about how scene he is and who he finds attractive in class like ‘ooh that Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear Heurassein is soooo pretty’ and ‘Asch Windor is sooo hot I want to—”

“Alright Edna, that’s enough,” said Eizen firmly. 

“Dang it, he’s back,” said Sorey with a frown. 

“Eizennnnn,” Mikleo pouted. “We want to stay up.”

“You also happen to be five years old,” said Eizen raising an eyebrow. “And I promised your mom that you’d be in bed by the time she and Zaveid got back.”

“You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not my real brother!” said Edna, taking off towards Zaveid’s room.

 _“Edna that doesn’t work I am too your brother!”_ Eizen shouted as he chased after her. 

“I don’t want to go to bed,” pouted Mikleo. 

“Me neither,” said Sorey. “But Mom wants us to…”

The two of them sat on the floor of the living room for a while in silence, hearing the muffled noises of what seemed to be Eizen and Edna arguing with each other. Mikleo scooted closer to Sorey, hoping that maybe their closer proximity would help them come up with a better idea. It didn’t seem to work, however, but Sorey’s head was on Mikleo’s shoulder by the time Eizen returned after finally managing to get Edna back to her own room. 

“So,” sighed Eizen. “You two can sleep on the floor or I can set up the sofa. It’s really up to you.”

“Or we could just not sleep,” muttered Mikleo stubbornly, even as Sorey yawned.

Eizen raised an eyebrow. Mikleo attempted to glare at him, but it didn’t work too well as he yawned as well. Eizen opted to ignore Mikleo’s glare and instead gestured for them to move so he could pull the sleeper sofa out. 

“This is so dumb,” said Mikleo as Eizen went to get some spare pillows. “We can stay up all night.”

“Mhm,” said Sorey tiredly. He was resting more of his weight on Mikleo’s shoulder.

 _I’ll stay awake_ , thought Mikleo. _Sorey might fall asleep but I’m wide awake._

He yawned again as Eizen returned with some pillows. Eizen put them on the bed, and with his hands on his hips gave a look that he could have only perfected by being Edna’s brother.

“Come on you two. Bed.”

Reluctantly, they climbed into bed. Sorey immediately snuggled up to Mikleo, and after a few moments he was asleep. Mikleo planned on staying up. He was just going to pretend to sleep until Eizen went back to his room. He was pretty sure Eizen had left by now. The lights in the kitchen had been turned off. He could stay awake for a while longer. But Sorey’s warmth next to him was so comforting…and he shifted a bit closer. He’d stay awake. He repeated that thought to himself over and over again. But he was asleep long before Lailah and Zaveid finally returned, and even when Lailah picked him and Sorey up, he remained asleep, cuddled next to Sorey’s warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly tried so hard but Edna kept stealing the show. (Seriously Edna, stop) But writing her and Eizen is actually really fun! Also I never mentioned it in the chapter, but Zaveid and Lailah are at a parent-teacher conference night, not on a date. Whoops. This chapter happened just because I wanted little Sorey and Mikleo refusing to eat their vegetables and giving Eizen a hard time. Poor Eizen...
> 
> Also I wanted to fit in Edna swearing and then Eizen telling her off (something like "fucking hell" "language" "fucking heck") but...well...it didn't work. Maybe another time.


	3. Day 3: Fire – Passion, Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorey and Mikleo arguing isn't pretty. Sorey and Mikleo not talking to each other because they're arguing is even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorey and Mikleo are like 12/13 in this chapter I never really decided what. Yuan is Mikleo's uncle because his sister was Muse, and Yuan might as well be Sorey's uncle considering his relationship with Kratos.

The atmosphere in the (other) Aurion apartment was extremely tense. It was also extremely quiet, which was one of the biggest problems. Lailah Aurion was sitting at the kitchen table, her head on her arms. This was how Yuan Ka-Fai found her a bit later.

“Hey Lai—Whoa what’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down next to her.

“Sorey and Mikleo are fighting,” said Lailah, her voice muffled as she refused to raise her head. Yuan looked a bit confused. He didn’t see Sorey or Mikleo anywhere.

“But…they’re not yelling?” 

“I know, and that’s the problem!” said Lailah, finally sitting up. “They’ve been ignoring each other. It’s the absolute _worst_. Whenever they want to argue it’s always when they’re alone because they hate it when people see them fighting so now they’re in opposite ends of the apartment pretending the other doesn’t exist!”

“Well,” said Yuan carefully. “That sounds like…a problem.”

 _“Ya think?”_ Lailah said sarcastically. 

“Mom?” said Mikleo, coming out from his and Sorey’s bedroom. “Oh, hi Uncle Yuan I didn’t know you were here.”

“Yes dear?” asked Lailah with a sigh. Yuan waved half-heartedly. 

“I want you to tell Sorey that—”

“No, no, no. I’m not being your messenger anymore,” said Lailah firmly. “Go in and tell him yourself.”

“I don’t want to talk to him!” said Mikleo, crossing his arms. 

“Clearly you do or you wouldn’t be asking me to deliver a message for you!” 

There were a few moments spent in a glaring match between Mikleo and Lailah. Mikleo eventually lost. 

“Fine,” he sighed. “But only if he comes to me! I’m not going to him.”

Lailah rolled her eyes but got up from the table and headed towards her own bedroom, where Sorey had been sulking. She hated when they’d argue by not talking. Every fight they’d been it was quickly resolved by them just talking to each other, so when communication was no longer an option…

“Sorey?” she asked, opening the door. “Mikleo wants to talk to you.”

Sorey had been sitting on the edge of her bed, and Lailah thought it looked like he’d been crying. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had. 

“Oh, okay,” said Sorey, standing up. “Thanks Mom.”

“Please try to get this resolved by dinner?” Lailah asked with a sigh. “I can’t have you two not talking. It makes dinner so boring.”

She offered Sorey a smile, and he managed one back at her before heading to his and Mikleo’s room. 

“Do you think it’ll work?” asked Yuan as she returned to the table.

“Oh, it will. Just trust me.”

* * *

Sorey entered the room hesitantly. Mikleo was standing with his back to the door, but from what Sorey could read from his body language, he was still upset.

“Mikleo? Mom said you wanted to talk to me,” said Sorey quietly. “And uh…that’s good because I want to talk to you too.”

“Good,” said Mikleo, turning around. His arms were still tightly crossed. “I have something to say to you! I’m still mad at you!”

“Well…that’s good because _I’m_ still mad at _you_ ,” Sorey shot back. The two of them stood there for a solid moment in silence. 

“Sorey—” Mikleo said.

“Mikleo—” Sorey said at the same time. 

Another awkward silence. 

“Um…you go first,” said Sorey, breaking eye contact by looking at the floor. 

“No, no you go first,” Mikleo insisted. Neither of them said anything. Sorey was the one to break the silence first.

“Mikleo?”

“Yeah?”

“….Why were we fighting to begin with?” asked Sorey. 

“Because…because…I don’t remember,” Mikleo finished lamely. He managed a small smile at Sorey. “Wow that seems pretty dumb when I think about it.”

“I can’t believe we’d fight over something so dumb we’d forget what it’s even about,” said Sorey with a laugh. 

“Hey, this isn’t the first time it’s happened,” Mikleo pointed out. “I don’t know, when I’m mad at you sometimes I forget what stupid thing you did this time and I just start thinking about all the other times.”

“You mean like that time I stole your shampoo?” Sorey asked. 

“It wasn’t the fact you stole my shampoo. It was the fact that you then tried to use it on Uncle Kratos’s dog,” said Mikleo rolling his eyes. 

“Hey, Noishe looked good after that bath,” said Sorey with a laugh. 

There was another pause between them, but this time the silence was comfortable and relaxed, instead of tense with sparks waiting to erupt into angry flames. Sorey moved towards Mikleo, and once he was close enough, he held out his arms.

“What?” asked Mikleo suspiciously.

“Hug?” asked Sorey with a smile. 

“Fine,” sighed Mikleo, stepping into Sorey’s embrace.

“I love you,” said Sorey. 

“I love you too,” Mikleo mumbled back. He then pulled away from the hug. “But Mom probably wants to make sure we’re okay. She’s in the kitchen, I don’t think we should keep her waiting.” 

“Yeah,” agreed Sorey, and the two of them headed back out to find Lailah. 

When Sorey and Mikleo argued, it was terrifying. Very few people had ever witnessed it as they tended to do it in private, but it seemed they’d both picked up Lailah’s fiery fighting spirit. Almost all of their arguments were easily resolved by them just talking to each other. It was perhaps difficult, with both of them being raised by Lailah and thus learning her way of arguing with a flaming passion. When two flames of equal size and intensity collided, it wasn’t pretty. But afterward, the flames would die down, and they would go back to being supportive of each other no matter what stupid thing the other (usually Sorey) did. The flame that grew then was the one of their love for each other. The most important flame of all.


	4. Day 4: Wind – Freedom, Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorey and Mikleo get an apartment for college. Just for college. No other reason. Featuring Dezel (speaking an actual line for the first time in Sitcom AU) and Zaveid (and Edna) helping. Sorey and Mikleo are about 19, Dezel is 18, and Edna is 21.

“Hmm…I think we should put the couch over there. What do you think, Sorey?” asked Mikleo with a frown, looking around the apartment thoughtfully.

“I don’t particularly care _where_ you want it just let me set it down!” interrupted their brother Dezel, who was holding up one end of the couch, while their stepfather Zaveid held the other. 

“I think over there is fine,” said Sorey hurriedly. “It’s not that big of a deal Mikleo!”

“Why did I even end up helping with this?” asked Dezel grumpily after he and Zaveid set down the couch. 

“Because you are so big and strong,” said their sister Edna sarcastically from where she was sitting on the windowsill. “Poor little me, whatever could I do to help without Dezel around?”

Dezel glared at her and Zaveid decided to intervene before things got too out of hand. 

“Alright, alright calm down. We’re all happy to help Mickey boy and Sorey move into their new apartment!” Zaveid said with a smile.

“Don’t call me Mickey boy!” Mikleo immediately shot back.

“Would you prefer Meebo?” asked Edna. 

“Don’t call me that either!” Mikleo said, turning to her, his face red and fist raised.

“Eheheh…thank you though for the help with moving,” said Sorey with a nervous laugh. 

“Yeah so feel free to leave now,” said Mikleo, glaring at Edna. 

“We’ll be back later!” said Zaveid as he ushered Dezel and Edna out of the apartment. “Your mom is going to want to see how it looks when she gets home.”

Mikleo and Sorey waved as their family left, and then it was just the two of them left in silence. And a brand new apartment. For just the two of them.

“Well…” began Sorey. “This is…different.” 

“I’ll say,” said Mikleo, looking around the living room. 

Even when they were young children, living with just Lailah, their family had constantly been around. Lailah started dating Zaveid when they were six years old, so Edna, Dezel, and Eizen had basically become their siblings then as well. Whenever Lailah went on a date, they would be babysat by their uncle Kratos, cousin Lloyd, and Lloyd’s friend Colette. Their uncle Yuan would also usually help Kratos, or just hang around their apartment as well. Their extended family wasn’t exactly small either, with cousins they saw on an almost weekly basis. They were always surrounded by family. And now they were on their own. 

“It’s so quiet,” said Sorey, walking around the living room. “Is it going to be like this all the time?”

“Unlikely,” said Mikleo, still standing in the center of the room with his arms crossed. “With how you get excited over things…”

“I’m not the only one who gets excited!” said Sorey, but his words lacked any bite. Instead he was moving down the hallway, observing the rest of the apartment. 

Overall, it wasn’t a very large apartment. They had a living room, one and a half bathrooms, and a kitchen. They also had only one bedroom, which they had told Lailah and Zaveid they only really needed one. (“We used to share a room as kids, Mom. It’s fine!” “Plus it’s cheaper this way, we don’t mind!”) Lailah had perhaps been a bit too eager to agree with them on that choice, and if she had any thoughts about them only having one bed, she (thankfully) kept them to herself. 

“Mikleo! Come in here!” Sorey called from down the hall. Reluctantly, Mikleo left his spot in the living room to follow Sorey’s voice. 

“What is it?” asked Mikleo as he walked into the bedroom. The bed was already in there, but it was unmade, and surrounded by cardboard boxes they needed to unpack.

“Isn’t this so nice?” asked Sorey excitedly. “We’ve shared a bedroom before but now it’s like _ours_ , you know?”

“It’s certainly different,” Mikleo agreed. He paused, watching Sorey as he moved around the room with the enthusiasm of a puppy with a new toy. “It’s a nice change…a new kind of freedom.”

“Freedom to be us! By ourselves!” said Sorey, smiling at Mikleo. He paused, and then frowned. “Although, I’m relatively sure Mom already knew about us…”

“Like we were ever subtle about it?” Mikleo snorted. “I’m relatively sure that was the reason she didn’t want us sharing a room during high school.”

Sorey laughed, and he moved over to Mikleo, taking his boyfriend’s hands into his own. 

“This is the start of something new,” Sorey said seriously. “We’re all by ourselves. …Are you sure we won’t get lonely?”

He looked hesitant, and Mikleo could understand why. After all those years of being constantly surrounded by people, it was finally just the two of them in an apartment all by themselves. 

“Yeah,” said Mikleo with a smile. “We’re together. We won’t ever be lonely.”


	5. Day 5: Void - Energy, Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo doesn't like being by himself. It's not the same investigating ruins without Sorey. And he's sure Sorey feels the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is at some point in the future after the last chapter, and I don't have specific ages in mind.

It was the sunlight that woke up Mikleo at some ungodly hour of the morning. Ungodly for him, at least. He hadn’t gone to bed until extremely late as he’d spent a majority of the night studying. With a groan he threw an arm over his eyes to block out the offending light. He didn’t want to get up now, so closing the blinds himself was out of the question.

“Sorey, will you please tell the sun to shut up?” he mumbled. 

There was a lack of a verbal or physical response, and as the sun was still assaulting his face, he sat up, preparing to complain at Sorey. The words died in his throat, however, when he realized that the other half of the bed was cold. It always was, and yet he kept forgetting every single morning.

“Sorey’s not here,” he reminded himself, a bit angrily. “He’s not here and he never will be.”

Mikleo threw the blankets off of himself and stood up. He went to close the blinds in order to go back to sleep, but he debated if he should just get up now. While it was true he’d only gotten about four hours of sleep judging by the alarm clock on the bedside table, he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to go back to bed.

He opted to go back to the desk his research was spread over. They had heard rumors of a secret underground labyrinth of ruins below the Balacruf Mausoleum, and he’d headed to the city nearest the mausoleum in order to check their records. He had found some promising leads, and had pored over the manuscripts until what Zaveid referred to as “the asscrack of dawn.” Afterward, he’d passed out in bed until just now. 

After looking at the papers again, he yawned, and decided that coffee and breakfast were probably in order. He headed into the small kitchenette in the hotel room and began to prepare coffee while looking around for what he could possibly have for breakfast. There were some leftover blueberry scones Lailah had prepared for him before leaving on the trip, and as they weren’t bad yet, he decided it would do. 

Taking his scone and cup of coffee back to the desk, he flipped through the papers again. The ruins weren’t too far away, and if he left today he could get started on researching them. Of course, he really wished that Sorey could be with him. The thought of Sorey made him pause again. He usually didn’t go on these trips without Sorey, and even though he wasn’t home, the lack of Sorey’s presence was still…unsettling. 

Sorey was almost pure energy, if Mikleo had to describe him. Mikleo could always tell if Sorey was home because he could just sense the presence of the excitement that was Sorey’s essence. It made the apartment feel lived in, and whole. When Sorey wasn’t home, or just wasn’t on a trip with Mikleo, it felt empty. Many times when looking over some research or observing a ruin, he would turn to Sorey to ask for his advice, only to realize Sorey wasn’t there. The absence was almost a suffocating stillness. It made him feel constantly uncomfortable in a way he could never exactly pinpoint. 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by his phone buzzing, and he quickly answered it, expecting it to be Lailah.

“Hey,” he said, flipping through the notes on the desk again. “I’m about to head for the ruins today. The rumors we heard were right, there is stuff below the Balacruf Mausoleum.”

“Wait, seriously?” asked Sorey’s voice excitedly. “Oh man, I should totally come and meet up with you!”

“S-Sorey?” asked Mikleo. “Wait, I thought you were Mom, sorry.”

“Wow you could at least sound excited to hear from me,” said Sorey, and Mikleo could hear the teasing pout in his voice.

“Sorry! I thought you were busy!” said Mikleo hurriedly. “And you know you can’t come research the ruins with me, you have to go to Ladylake!”

“I know, I know, Alisha said she needed my help,” said Sorey. He sighed, and Mikleo knew he was pouting. “But the ruins under the Balacruf Mausoleum…I could ask Uncle Kratos to—”

“No,” said Mikleo, rolling his eyes. “Go help Alisha. I’ll take a million pictures for you, alright?”

There was a pause before Sorey finally said, “Alright.”

“I love you,” he added suddenly. Mikleo was glad Sorey couldn’t see him blushing.

“I love you too,” he stammered. 

* * *

Sorey laughed when he heard Mikleo’s nervous tone. Even though they’d been dating for officially four years, Mikleo was still bad at saying “sappy” things even as simple as “I love you.” He always got embarrassed and hated to say it when looking at Sorey. 

“Well go enjoy yourself with those ruins I’m not allowed to see,” Sorey teased. “I do need to pack for Ladylake. Bye, Mikleo!”

He waited to hear Mikleo’s goodbye before hanging up and turning to the open suitcase on his and Mikleo’s bed in their apartment. While it was true that he was supposed to be going to Ladylake soon with Alisha in order to help her with something in the historic aqueducts beneath the city, he still hadn’t packed. He didn’t have a legitimate excuse for putting it off this long, it was mostly a combination of missing Mikleo and Mikleo not constantly reminding him. 

Sorey didn’t like the apartment when Mikleo wasn’t here. Usually when they went to investigate some ruins somewhere, they went together. But on the rare occasion the two of them were apart, it always threw him off. He would say something out loud, and wait for the response from Mikleo, only to realize he wasn’t there. He would reach out for Mikleo in the middle of the night only to find the bed empty. Sorey had spent his entire life surrounded by family, and even when he and Mikleo moved out by themselves, Mikleo was still always there. Being alone in the apartment was uncomfortable. It was a sort of loneliness Sorey had never known his entire life, which made it even worse. 

With a sigh, Sorey flopped back onto the bed, thinking of where Mikleo could possibly be. While Mikleo didn’t necessarily give off as much of a presence as Sorey, it was still something Sorey noticed and missed. But Mikleo was okay, even though they were apart. And it would only be a week, Sorey attempted to reason with himself. After that, Sorey and Mikleo should both theoretically be done with their ruin trawls in their respective locations, and they’d be together again. He could deal with the absence for right now. Because after all, he and Mikleo would always be together.


	6. Day 6: Lightning - Honor, Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorey finds out about one of Mikleo's fears.

Sorey Aurion kicked a loose rock lying on the sidewalk, pouting a bit. He had wanted to walk home right away with his adoptive brother, Mikleo Ka-Fai, but they had to wait for their neighbor’s daughter Edna Yggdrassil. Their mother, Lailah, had insisted they walk home with because it was “safer” than letting two five-year-olds walk home by themselves. 

“This is dumb, she takes forever,” said Sorey, looking at Mikleo. “We could just go home by ourselves. Mom is underestimating us.”

Mikleo, who had been watching the sky with a strange concentration, didn’t seem to register what Sorey had said at first.

“Huh?” he asked, still looking at the sky.

“I said that we should be able to walk home by ourselves. We don’t need to wait for Edna. It’s not like she’s our sister,” said Sorey, crossing his arms. 

“Yeah,” said Mikleo, sounding distracted. “It’d be better if we went home earlier…”

“D’you think we should just go then? Mom might be a bit mad but… Oh never mind!” said Sorey, spotting Edna leaving the building, her best friend Elle Mel Marta Kresnik-Maxwell in tow. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” said Elle, waving to Edna. 

“Bye!” said Edna. She headed over to Sorey and Mikleo. “Are you two ready to go?”

“Yeah we’ve been ready for a while,” said Sorey. “C’monnnn I wanna go home I left my book there.”

“Alright, keep your pants on,” said Edna. “Let’s go Meebo.”

Mikleo, who was still staring at the sky with apprehension, looked a bit startled by Edna calling to him, but he said nothing about the nickname, opting to instead follow silently. Mikleo was strangely silent the entire walk home, and while Sorey and Edna chatted animatedly, he kept staring at the sky and the dark grey clouds that were gathering there.

“Hey, Edna?” Mikleo said suddenly, interrupting their conversation.

“Yeah? What’s up?” asked Edna, pausing for a moment to look at him.

“Is it going to rain today?” he asked.

Edna looked up at the sky that Mikleo had been watching almost all day. 

“Probably, with the way those clouds are. It’s okay if it does, I have an umbrella,” said Edna, twirling her umbrella with a smile.

“Wow! Edna is so cool!” said Sorey excitedly to Mikleo in a loud whisper.

Edna heard it anyway, and laughed, and she and Sorey continued talking as they walked home. Edna’s assurances of having an umbrella did nothing to help Mikleo feel better, and if anything, the frown on his face grew larger.

* * *

Sorey was playing in the living room when it happened. Mikleo had been in the kitchen, getting a drink of water. Then all of a sudden, there was a flash of lightning.

“Oh!” said Sorey, dropping his stuffed dinosaur. 

Looking out the window, he noticed that the rain Edna had mentioned finally started. There was a rumble of thunder, followed by the sound of something breaking. The sound seemed to come from the kitchen, and jumping up, Sorey ran into the kitchen to find Mikleo standing next to a broken glass on the floor.

“Mikleo! Are you okay?” asked Sorey, being careful to avoid the glass shards on the floor.

“What?” asked Mikleo, looking distracted. “No, no I’m fine. Sorry I was getting a cup from the cabinet and I…”

“Did the thunder scare you?” asked Sorey.

“No!” said Mikleo quickly. 

“It’s okay, it was kinda scary. I didn’t expect it,” said Sorey with a smile. “Mom won’t be mad, I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” said Mikleo. But he wasn’t looking at the glass on the floor like Sorey was, he was looking out the window.

“I don’t think we should clean it up, though,” said Sorey, frowning at the glass. “Mom wouldn’t want us to touch it. I wonder if we should call her now and tell her or wait…”

There was another flash of lightning, followed by thunder much sooner than it had been the previous time. Mikleo flinched, looking away from the window.

“Hey, Mikleo what do you think?” asked Sorey, looking to Mikleo. 

“I…uh…I d’know…whatever’s fine,” Mikleo mumbled. He quickly turned towards the doorway and headed into the living room.

Sorey shrugged, and decided to wait to tell Lailah when she got home. He looked to where Mikleo had been standing a few seconds before, and then frowned. If they were going to wait he should probably tell Mikleo. And they’d have to avoid the kitchen for a while since there was glass everywhere. Plus Mikleo had been going for a drink, did he even get it?

With all these questions in mind, Sorey went into the living room to find Mikleo. The rain outside was beginning to pick up, and even as he moved through the apartment, the thunder and lightning returned. Strangely, Mikleo didn’t appear to be in the room. Frowning, Sorey started to head towards their bedroom when he heard another rumble of thunder, accompanied by a strange noise. 

“Mikleo?” he asked, turning back towards the living room. The noise kind of sounded like something their Uncle Kratos’s dog would make sometimes when he was upset. “Mikleo are you in here?”

He spotted Mikleo a moment later, huddled underneath the coffee table. Crouching down, Sorey approached him. Mikleo’s knees were pulled up to his chest and he had his face hidden. Still, from what Sorey could tell, he was shaking.

“Mikleo?” asked Sorey quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” mumbled Mikleo. 

“Mom’s not gonna be that mad over the glass,” Sorey attempted to reassure him. “I know she can be scary but that only happens when—”

“It’s not the glass,” Mikleo interrupted. 

“Then…what is it?” asked Sorey. He’d never seen Mikleo get this upset before over anything, even that time when Edna threw him in the dumpster.

“It’s—” Mikleo began to say, but he flinched when the thunder rumbled again.

“Is it the thunder?” asked Sorey slowly. 

Mikleo nodded, but he refused to look at Sorey.

“I just…don’t like it very much,” Mikleo said quietly. “Whenever there were storms before Mom would be there for me…but now she’s gone… I think it’s gotten worse since…since she…well…you know…”

Sorey sat quietly next to Mikleo for a bit. He assumed that Mikleo had been talking about Aunt Muse, who was Mikleo’s birth mom. She had died the year before, which is when Mikleo came to live with him and Lailah. There hadn’t been very many thunderstorms in between those times, but every time it had rained, Mikleo seemed more…on edge. Now, it made sense.

“C’mere,” said Sorey, scooting closer to Mikleo and pulling him into a hug. 

“Sorey…” said Mikleo.

“Y’know…Mom says it’s okay to be afraid. She says that to me all the time. She says that being afraid proves you’re human. So it’s okay to be scared of the thunder and lightning,” said Sorey. 

“That’s easy for her to say, she’s never afraid,” Mikleo muttered.

“Mom’s been afraid before,” said Sorey. “She told me she’s scared lots of times. She was scared after Dad died. She’s scared when she thinks something happens to us.”

Mikleo didn’t say anything, instead scooting a bit closer to Sorey, and leaning his head against Sorey’s shoulder.

“But…Mom also says that it’s important to be brave. She says you can be both at the same time. She says it’s hard, but if you’re with someone else it’s easier.”

“I’m not as scared of the thunder and lightning when I’m with you,” Mikleo said. “I do feel safer with you…I don’t know why.”

“Well I’m not scared of storms,” said Sorey proudly. He paused for a moment. “I am scared of Uncle Kratos though. He’s rather scary.”

Mikleo managed a laugh at that, and he seemed not to notice the thunder as it boomed outside. 

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Sorey repeated. “I’ll always be here with you, Mikleo. So you don’t have to worry.”

“Okay,” said Mikleo quietly. He was clinging to Sorey rather tightly, but Sorey didn’t really mind. They could wait out the storm together. As long as they were together, they could go through anything and be brave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I do use their last names and as a reference: Lailah is Kratos's older sister (Lailah and Sorey Aurion). Muse is Yuan's sister (Muse and Mikleo Ka-Fai). Zaveid is...Martel and Mithos's cousin (Zaveid, Eizen, Edna, and Dezel Yggdrassil). I haven't really used their last names all that often but since they're mentioned in this one...
> 
> Also I never really addressed this before but Mikleo is adopted. Muse was Yuan's sister (like I said), and she was also Lailah's best friend. After she died Lailah adopted him and so he and Sorey live together. They are aware of the fact they’re not biologically related tho, and Mikleo started calling Lailah “Mom” after a bit.


	7. Day 7: Malevolence/Purity - Choices, Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo feels like just because he looks like someone, he has to be that person. Sorey reminds him that that's not true, and his identity is his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Last chapter! Also super angst alert? This has to do a lot with my own personal feelings since I look like my mother and everyone always ends up comparing me to her. (She died when I was a kid) So Mikleo gets to feel my angst. 
> 
> Mikleo and Sorey are teenagers in this chapter, I don't know exactly what age. This is after Lailah and Zaveid are married.

Mikleo stared down at the photographs carefully preserved in plastic. There were so many of them and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy when he looked at them. The thought of what could have been. Most of the pictures were of a beautiful young woman with light brown hair, and it was obvious they were related through their face and eyes. In some photos she was accompanied by others. 

Another young woman with long white hair and green eyes, a familiar face for Mikleo. A young man with straight blue hair in a ponytail with the same face as the brunette. And then there was Mikleo. Mikleo almost hated it. How much he looked like her. How often his uncle would hide the flicker of pain that would cross his face whenever he saw Mikleo.

His adoptive mother had gotten a lot better at it a lot sooner. Sometimes he'd catch her looking at him sadly when she thought no one was looking. Sometimes he would think maybe his mother would have been happier if his biological mother was still alive. Her best friend. The one he looked so much like. He tried to ignore those thoughts by telling himself that she loved him as much as she loved his adoptive brother, her biological son. She loved his other siblings, his two other brothers and his sister, even though they weren't hers originally either. But Edna and Eizen looked like _their_ mother. And if it would cause anyone pain, it'd be his stepfather. But his stepfather never seemed to mind. 

Still, Mikleo felt like the odd one out. Sorey was Lailah's son from her previous marriage. While the two of them had grown up like brothers they ended up loving each other in an entirely different way. Edna and Dezel were Zaveid's kids from his previous marriage. Eizen shared their mother but he was ten years older than Edna, and had a different father. Still he was at least their half-brother. He had some connection to the family. Mikleo had nothing.

His mother died when he was young. He could remember her, vaguely, if he tried hard enough. He didn't know anything about his biological father. His mother never said anything and Lailah would avoid it if asked. Lailah had become his new mother. She never told him to call her "mom," but he did one day. And he never stopped after that. Lailah had raised him for a majority of his life and she had definitely earned the title.

"Mikleo?" he heard a gentle voice call his name from behind him. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey Sorey," he said, shutting the photo album. "Just looking at old pictures."

"Again, huh?" Sorey asked sympathetically, sitting down next to him. 

"Yeah," said Mikleo quietly. He hesitated. "Sorey... Do you think Mom would have been happier if...my mom hadn't died?"

"I think Mom would've been happier if a lot of things hadn't happened. Aunt Muse dying for one. My dad. Aunt Anna. Aunt Martel. Y'know? A lot of people have died and I'm sure that made her sad," said Sorey with a sigh.

"But I mean, if she didn't have to...to take care of me," said Mikleo in a near-whisper.

"Mikleo." Sorey gave him a stern look. "Mom would be happier if a TON of stuff hadn't happened because losing someone you love is really hard. And Mom has had her fair share of it. But she loves you and I know she's happy now. Mom doesn't have regrets."

Mikleo didn't respond, avoiding eye contact by staring at the design on the front of the photo album.

"Besides," added Sorey. "As much as it sucks, if Mom hadn't been single and Zaveid hadn't been single they wouldn't have gotten married!"

"We got Edna for a sister, how is that positive?" asked Mikleo with a huff. 

Sorey managed to laugh at that, and ruffled Mikleo’s hair. His smile faded after a moment though, and he looked at Mikleo seriously.

“Mikleo, I know that you’re still upset over this. And honestly, I’m not sure if you’ll ever fully get over it. But that’s okay. All you need to remember is that you’re _you_ ,” said Sorey quietly.

Mikleo avoided looking at him once again, biting his lip. This wasn’t a subject he liked to dwell on. He often felt like most people would rather he be like his mother, especially since he looked so much like her. He couldn’t count how many times he’d heard growing up, especially from his uncle, “you look just like your mother.” It felt almost like a curse to him. That he had to be her.

“Mikleo,” said Sorey sharply, interrupting his train of thought. His voice then softened as he continued. “You need to remember that just because you look like her it doesn’t make you…well…her. You have the choice of who you want to be. I mean, after all it’d be a bit ridiculous for us all to be like the people we look like right?”

“I guess,” Mikleo mumbled.

“Look, just think about it. I look like my dad. Lloyd looks like Aunt Anna! And…And… Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup look like Aster and Richter!” Sorey pointed out. He then added in an undertone, “Somehow…”

He shook his head and put his hand over Mikleo’s. Mikleo looked at him, a bit doubtful.

“I mean…I still kind of feel like I have to be _somewhat_ like her,” he said slowly.

“But you don’t,” said Sorey. “You’re Mikleo. You’re not Muse. This is your life, and your mom would want you to live it however you want. She wouldn’t want you to become her just to appease some other people.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Mikleo with a small smile. 

“Well…I uh…don’t really remember Aunt Muse, but I’m sure that’s what she’d say!” said Sorey, returning the smile a bit sheepishly. “And it’s what I’m saying. Okay? Besides, it’s something like ‘It’s our choices far beyond our abilities that show who we truly are,’ I think.”

“Really, quoting book quotes now?” asked Mikleo, raising an eyebrow. He was still smiling, though. 

“Yeah, kinda cliché,” said Sorey with a laugh. Mikleo laughed as well, and the two of them sat in silence for a bit before Mikleo spoke again.

“Sorey? …Thank you.”

“Any time,” said Sorey cheerfully.

 _I just have to remember_ , thought Mikleo. _I’m Mikleo. I’m not Muse. I have control of my future and my destiny. It’s my identity, and I can shape it however I want. I don’t have to be anyone but me._


End file.
